Saturday, February 18, 2006

photograph by manfredi bellati

LONDON/TRADITION

Time to go home. Sambuca, our hostess's faithful Springer Spaniel is on the door steps with us while we try and flag down a cab. It's 9.30 a.m. and it takes us more than forty-five minutes to find one and just make it to the airport with fifteen minutes to spare. So if you are ever in the Chelsea area remember this crucial time in the mornings. We had a blissful visit with Elisabeth and Sebastian and were spoilt rotten and treated to private and exclusive military events and places. We still remember Elisabeth's delicious quick and easy Fish Chowder: Peel potatoes, cut into small chunks and cook with stock and a bay leaf until they are nearly done. Cut fish in chunks (you need a mix of fresh fish and some smoked fish), put aside. Saute' some spring onions with some mushrooms in butter, add the cooked potatoes and hot stock, add the fish, cream or creme fraiche and parsley. Turn off the heat and serve after a few minutes. I highly recommend this warm and substantial soup. Thank you so much for having us.

St. James's Palace - The Commanding Officer. Major-General Sebastian Roberts OBE, here in the role of the Regimental Lieutenant Colonel of the Irish Guards was on guard in St. James's Palace. He is flanked, to his right, by his aide-de-camp,Harry Dickinson, ensign of the guard, and on his left, by Major Fabian Roberts, second subaltern of the guard. They stand under a portrait of Queen Victoria who founded the regiment in 1900 to commemorate the bravery of the Irish people who fought in the Boer war.

At the V & A - The Big Boss. Art and creative director, Ronnie Newhouse and her husband, Conde Nast's International Chairman, Jonathan Newhouse hosted a small and exclusive dinner for Anna Piaggi at San Lorenzo. "He gives the best parties and has a knack for organizing and bringing interesting people together." Anna says about Mr. Newhouse's dinner parties. He is also know for his dry wit and loves to quote John Keats. He has said of the magazine business "A magazine needs the intelligence, the cognition, the magic of an editor as poet to bring a title to life. Creativity, more than branding, is what underlies success."

At San Lorenzo - The photographer.Catherine and David Bailey are among the chosen few at San Lorenzo for the dinner given by Conde Nast's European chairman, Jonathan Newhouse in Anna Piaggi's honor. David is said to be responsible, in part, for making London hip in the Swinging Sixties. The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Marianne Faithful, Jean Shrimpton and Twiggy were all immortalized by his lens. It has always been implied that David was the role model for the photographer in Michelangelo Antonioni's BlowUp. Over the years he has recorded, on film, Anna's ongoing metamorphosis and it's his photograph on the cover of the V & A's invitation which shows Anna wearing a "newspaper" dress designed by JC DeCastelbajac.

LONDON/TRADITIONSt. James's Palace - lunch. It was quite an honor to be invited to the Queen's Guards Officer'sMess in St. James's Palace for lunch and it was one of the "highlights" of our trip to London. The table was laid with an impressively huge amount of very, very polished silver. The most unusual piece, which you can just see in the foreground, is a snuff box made with one of the hooves of Napoleon's famous horse Marengo. It is astonishingly small as it has shrunk since being "preserved". Lunch was also exceptionally good for "army food". After a spicy tomato and pepper soup, the chef prepared chicken breasts Wellington, which was very appropriate as the Duke of Wellington was a predecessor to our host, the current General Officer Commanding and Major General Commanding the Household Division, Major General Sebastian Roberts.

At the V & A - The editor-in chief and the "newcomer".Italian Vogue's, illustrious editor-in-chief, Franca Sozzani, needs no introduction. Under her editorship the magazine is the most cutting edge of all the Vogues, it anticipates and confirms all the trends not only in fashion, photography and style but also in art and design. Handsome fashion "newcomer" and neo-entrepreneur, Alberto Moretti comes from a family that knows a lot about fashion. His mother is a Lebole, the men's ready to wear company and the family owns high end fashion outlets all over the world, they are also co-proprietors with Prada of the Car Shoes brand. His father, Antonio is also a winemaker and his Oreno wine from the the Tenuta Sette Ponti was voted number 5 of Wine Spectator's Top 100 of 2005. Alberto will be relaunching the leather accessory line Arfango which used to be, in the '60's and '70's, a direct competitor with Gucci and Ferragamo.

At the V & A - Anna and friends.Anna Piaggi poses with her friends, London-based South American socialite, Victoria Fernandez, word has it that she likes to garden in her Wellington boots - only! And, American Vogue's, European editor-at-large, Hamish Bowles, who is always as elegant and stylish as the rich and famous people he writes about.

At the V & A - The Milliner. One of Anna Piaggi's greatest indulgences are her hats and one of her favorite designers, if not her favorite, is Stephen Jones. Stephen designed Anna's Union Flag "top hat". Nicknamed, by The Fashion Week Daily "London's Mad Hatter to the Stars" He has recently designed the hats (very Charles Dickens) for the British fashion fringe wunderkinds, Basso and Brooke who are known for their signature custom made prints. Watch out for their clothes, it's the "hot" new label!

Friday, February 17, 2006

LONDON/TRADITION MEETS FASHION

St James's Palace. We were invited for lunch in the Queen's Guards Officer's mess inside St. James's Palace. Ladies are only allowed inside the officer's mess until three p.m. and in the evening can only stay for drinks and must leave the premises by eight o'clock. I left my Prada bag outside the dining room on the same table as the officer's leave their bearskins hat's, the blue plume identifies the regiment of the Irish Guards. Bearskins hats are suprisingly lightweight, but very hot in the summertime. Bearkin hats were adopted to commemorate Britain's victory in 1815 over Napoleon's forces at Waterloo, the Imperial Guard, had worn bearskins to appear more intimidating.

At the V & A - more designers. Self-confessed eccentric fashion editor, Isabella Blow is famous, among other things for her hats and was responsible for discovering Philip Treacy while he was still a student at the Royal College of Art. Haute couture and lace designer, Nadia La Valle of Spaghetti boutique fame chats with milliner, Philip Treacy and his partner Stefan Bartlett. Philip Traecy created Camilla Parker Bowles beautiful wedding hat.

At the V & A - the designers. Erotic jewelry designer, Betony Vernon "...... I live happily in Paris most of the time now. And, the city of light is permitting me to advance with the writing of my book and I continue my mission in sexual well being through "Paradise Found" fine erotic jewelry and my members only salon." Whilst Barnaba Fornasetti is perpetuating the workshop tradition, that he inherited from his father reviving the most popular pieces, creating new ones. For the Milan Furniture Fair he is designing a new butterfly table.

At The V & A - The Painter. Tally-Ho! Sporting a "pink" coat, but no horse, pop surrealist painter, Dougie Fields was among the guests. Zandra Rhodes, also at the V & A, is an avid collector of his work.

At San Lorenzo. What better tribute to London and England than to be inspired by Britannia. Quote: "Since 1672, Britannia has been anthropomorphised into a woman wearing a helmet, and carrying a shield and trident." Anna Piaggi's cape was designed especially for the occasion by Rifat Ozbek. Her black lace jodpurs with military inspired red stripes were designed by Mirko Tomei Haute Couture. Lace up stiletto shoes by, the one and only, Manolo Blahnik.

The Mall.Major General Sebastian Roberts, General Officer Commanding and Major General Commanding The Household Division's trousers and coat are made by warranted uniform makers Kashket and Partners Ltd. Please note that the red stripes running down the trousers of the Irish Guards Officer's uniform are wider than non guards. Boots are made by New and Lingwood, who are also the official outfitters to Eton College.

At the V & A. The Daily Telegraph's award-winning fashion director, HilaryAlexander is one of my favorite journalist. The other you can well guess, as I have just mentioned her, and they are both British! I love Hilary's funky, towards ethnic way of dressing. She is also brilliant on television especially when she is being interviewed on CNN. Trendy property tycoon and gallery owner, Sir Oliver Rothschild has had a number of voluntary roles in various charities and is a reckless sportsman, he is also a member of the Cresta Club and the DangerousSports Club and a keen poker player.

At The V & A - The photographers. Photographer and interior designer Manfredi Bellati's latest book of mysterious black and white photographs which illustrate the "noir" short stories of Alberto Tosi Fei in the book "Misterie della Laguna e Racconti di Streghe", of which the English version is due out soon. And, old time pal, portrait and fashion photographer Barry Lategan compare cameras and enjoy a photo "shoot" together!http://www.vam.ac.uk/

Thursday, February 16, 2006

LONDON/FASHION

At the V & A - The Art Directors. Luca Stoppini, talented art director of Italian Vogue and designer of Anna Piaggi's Double Page spreads, has with Anna, created a dramatic work for the exhibition. Barney Wan is the legendary art director of English Vogue, he now spends most of his time designing "coffee table" photography books, such as; African Ark:People and AncientCultures of Ethiopia and the Horn of Africaby Carol Beckwith, and Angela Fisher.

The Metropolitan Mounted Police. It was the first time I saw a woman mounted police officer on duty. Horse and rider are so elegant, dignified and impeccably groomed. The Metropolitan Police Mounted Branch fulfill a tradition of service that goes back to the eighteenth century - to the very roots of police work in London.http://www.met.police.uk/mountedbranch

At the V & A - The de Villeneuves. Photographer, Justin de Villeneuve has collaborated with Anna Piaggi for Italian Vogue. He is a man of many masks, he has also been a boxer, a villain, a hairdresser (under the grandiose name of Christian St Forget), interior decorator, manager, and poet! He is best known for launching Twiggy as the World's first supermodel. His wife, model and actress Jan de Villeneuve and their daughter Daisy de Villneuve, a talented illustrator and designer pose with Nicky Butler of Butler and Wilson fame, designers of fashion jewellery.

Monday, February 13, 2006

LONDON/FASHIONAt the V & A - The Designers. The anti-establishment fashion doyenne, Vivienne Westwood, OBE seems to have calmed down in her way of dressing since the days of punk thirty years ago. Wearing a very "conventional" tweed coat (one of her favorite fabrics), she is beginning to look everyday more like Margaret Thacher. Pollini's creative director Rifat Ozbek designed the Union Flag Cape for Anna Piaggi'sdebut at the V & A, a tribute to the England that Anna loves so much. Bella, Bella Freud is a talented fashion designer in her own right. She is know for her kitsch and colorful knitwear. She is the daughter of painter Lucian Freud and great-granddaughter of the psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud.

At The V & A.Manolo Blahnik is Anna Piaggi's favorite shoe designer. His shoes are universally known as 'Manolos' and are synonymous with glamour and sex appeal and have become as famous as the women who wear them. Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex And The City had her priorities clear in one episode she pleaded with a mugger: "You can take my Fendi baguette, you can take my ring and my watch, but don't take my Manolo Blahniks." Madonna once described his shoes as "better than sex" and then added "what's more, they last longer." Anna Piaggi is wearing a Union Flag Top Hat by Stephen Jones a Union Flag cape by Rifat Ozbek, Blue marabou boa and earringsby Christian Dior, shocking pink fingerless gloves by Missoni Uomo, she is holding a child's walking stick by Alexandra Sojfer, Paris and a sequined Union Flag bag by Anteprima.

Changing of the guard. The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment band lead the Irish Guards from St. James' Palace to Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard. This ancient ceremony takes place every forty-eight hours in winter and every twenty-four hours in summer. It is one of the most popular tourist attractions and over 5,000 people regularly witness the changing of the Guard, both Summer and winter.

At the V & A. The exhibition Popaganda:The Fashion and style of JC de Castelbajac (until 1 May 2006) runs alongside Anna Piaggi Fashion-ology. A Campbell's soup can dress, a 'fur coat' made of teddy bears which was worn by Madonna, a giant Snoopy t-shirts and inflatable ponchos - these are a few of the witty and flamboyant designs of French fashion maverick Jean Charles de Castelbajac photographed here with Rosita Missoni. Anna has been writing the press releases for her dear friends the Missonis for ages ".........and from the 1980's I have jealously collected and kept as keys or clues to the avant-garde, as a visionary attitude to presenting a collection."writes New York based Conde' Nast's special project editor,Grazia D'Annunzio in the catalogue.

LONDON/FASHION RULE BRITANNIA, Anna rules the V & A.......we have come over to London especially for the opening at The Victoria and Albert Museum of the exhibition entitled Fashion-ology (until 23 April 2006), dedicated to the life and works of Anna Piaggi our friend of more than thirty years. Anna is unique and eccentric. She is a fashion reporter, editor, divinor of trends, designers' muse and self-styled icon. She is also an extremely nice person and a very good cook. 'Fashion-ology' refers to her idiosyncratic way of looking at clothes. With her own take on scientific precision, an attitude rather than a method, she has for decades told the new stories about fashion. The -ology suffix which transforms the word fashion in the title is an attempt to capture her world of contradictions, or illogical logic as she calls it as well as reveal systems of frivolity, patterns, angles in her work. The layout of the exhibition is a series of intersecting A's and upside down A's that become V's: Anna and Vogue, Anna and Vanity, Anna and her late husband Alfa, and her late friend, Vern Lambert and the V&A. Karl Lagerfeld who sketched her in more than 200 drawings and collected them in the book A Fashion Journal says of her "Dressing is her means of communication. It is an ephemeral act which has constantly to be started over again. There are no rules. Spontaneity is the only law and the occasion is her inspiration...she may wear the same garment often but never in the same context." Anna has had a long relationship with Italian Vogue starting in 1969 and since 1988 to the present day creates her famous Doppie Pagine. These double page spreads were the subject of the book Fashion Algebra, published in 1998 to celebrate their first ten years in Italian Vogue. They have always been inspiration to fashion and graphic designers as well as students. There couldn't be a better place for a show in her honor, as Anna has always been an anglofile and has a big following in London.

SUNDAY LUNCH. I just have enough time to unpack while I wait for my husband who is flying in from Venice and be off for a late Sunday lunch with author and Christie's Magazine editor in chief, Meredith Etherington Smith and her divine husband Jeremy and their dogs Algy a Chelsea Terrier and Byngo (above)a Norfolk Terrier. After a few very spicy Bloody Mary's, lunch is served. It is good to be back in England and I'm so looking forward to (and so is Byngo) a delicious Sunday lunch. Meredith is a wonderful cook, she always uses the best meats, the freshest vegetables and the most simple ingredients are instantly turned into a feast: A rolled rib of beef with perfect roast potatoes, carrots and leeks are served with the best horseradish sauce we have ever tasted. And, to finish a Kouign Amann, an apple cake invented in 1865, in Bretagne. Heavenly!

Friday, February 10, 2006

LONDON or MARRAKECH???

Where are we? So engrossed in the papers that when I look out the window, just before arriving at Waterloo, I wonder if I'm back in Marrakech. This brick building and the blue skies so remind me of the Red City. It is Actually the Christie's "Fort Knox"warehouse or CFASS, Christie's Fine Art Security Services Ltd. Built in1985 to provide the most flexible and comprehensive storage solutions for fine art and antiques from around the world. So, now you know where collectors, museums, art dealers and national governments store their precious art and antiques.

Thursday, February 09, 2006

PARIS/LONDON

Gare du Nord-Eurostar. My less than forty eight hours in Paris are over. Just one day at the Maison & Objet fair and one day en ville and I'm off again this time to London on the Eurostar from the Gare du Nord to Waterloo. It is the first time I take the train under the English Channel. Luckily it's Sunday and there is no traffic, everything is running smoothly. I am impressed by the efficientcy at the station, by the Premier Business lounge with WI-FI and the fast track check-in. I am so engrossed in the fantastic British Sunday papers, that I don't even notice when the train entered the tunnel and am also a little upset when only two hours and thirty-five minutes later we have already arrived in London and I still haven't finished the papers! The International Herald Tribune's fashion journalist Suzy Menkes, told Style.com "What I love about London is the Eurostar; it gets me to and from Paris with speed and in style."

After a disappointing Lunch in the "great" Paris Bistro Brasserie Balzar we took a taxi and strolled around the arcades of Le Jardin du Palais-Royal the highlight of which was the fabulous new, very new Marc JacobsBoutique - did you know that he is also creative director for Louis Vuitton? Next stop, Colette, the very crowded hip Parisian boutique in Rue St-Honore where style, fashion, design, art and food reign supreme. Our favorite item was the exclusive handbag by Anya Hindmarch called The Bespoke Ebury, which is custom made, embossed inside is a secret personalized message in your own handwriting, as well as, the owner's name and a unique number, the waiting list is three months! Next stop, we stumbled upon a fashion shoot:"A lady in white with a whip listens to her lover's plea. " The 17th century buildings are the backdrop for this fantasy fashion shoot in Place Vendome which is mostly famous for its jewelers or "les Diamantaires". This unique address is among the world's most prestigious and is also the home to The Ritz Hotel where we were bound for tea in The Bar Vendome. This was just what we needed to warm us up from the Siberian weather. It was so cozy to sit in the red velvet armchairs, look out onto the garden and try and imagine what the other guests, in very causal attire, did or came from, that it was difficult to move on from the comfort and the elegance and go out again. We took the indoor passageway to the rue Cambon, the "short cut", that for thirty years was the route that Coco Chanel took everyday on her way home to the Ritz, but, unfortunately now the entrance is closed. So out into the cold again and the long way round until we finally arrived, frozen, at the original Chanel boutique at 31 rue Cambon. This was the second disappointment of the day as sadly the decor is exactly like London, New York and Milan and the only tell tale sign that we are in Paris is the wrought iron staircase. Please note that - I hate global shopping, as there is nothing new to discover!

Muriel Grateau. Refined French designer, Muriel Grateau's name has been buzzing in the air for quite a while now, on both sides of the Atlantic. Muriel and I have been friends since she was designing clothes for Complice in Milan. But, over the years we have lost touch and therefore when I contacted her again, her first words were "Where did you spring up from?" She is now famous for her tabletop collections, these come in an astonishingly wide range of colors. CatherineDeneuve and Calvin Klein are amongst her fans. It was therefore a surprise when she recently launched the Precious Collections which are black, nearly black, black brown and almost black jewels and leather accessories. The Black Jewels and in particular, the rings shown above, are beautiful big black onyx figuratively carved stonestopped bysmoky carbochon quartzes surrounded by cognac diamonds. So If you can't make it to Paris, don't fret as they will be available in New York at Bergdolf Goodman from April 3rd.

Au Nom De La Rose is a chain store of French florists that offers only one variety of flowers, the rose. I usually don't like chain stores, but I found this one exceptional, very refined, simple and unpretentious. They offer in their bouquets what the French are so well know for, elegance and simplicity. I loved the fresh and very chic and unfussy round bouquets in a variety of colors in pretty vases. And, wanted to take home all the other rose related products like the rose-hip jams and marmalades, scented soaps, candles and rose water-based perfumes. The packaging was very beautiful too, on top of the roses they scatter rose petals and tie the bag with a fresh rose! C'estmanificque, n'est pas?

Contessanally says "Don't forget your rose etiquette: Roses are to be given in odd numbers for simple reasons of elegance and harmony of the bouquet. This is not because of any numbering system. Sophisticated people know that they should never give flowers heads down. For a dinner, they should be delivered in the afternoon."

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

PARIS

Le Prince Jardinier and Deyrolle. To get out of the cold and pretend that we were in "Africa" we went into Deyrolle which is situated on the first floor of Le Prince Jardinier at 46 rue du Bac. "Preserve, understand, observe and listen in order to transmit." is the motto of Prince Louis Albert de Broglie, better know as the gardening prince. It is the Prince who in 2001 saved and restored the Deyrolle fabulous collection of curiosities and the impressive collections of insects, shells and naturalized stuffed animals. It's unique, unexpected and very eccentric rather than an ordinary shop. We couldn't leave Le Prince Jardinier without buying their sturdy gardening aprons embroidered with their "tongue in cheek" coat of arms inspired by Prince Louis Albert de Broglie's own: a straw hat replaces the ducal crown which surmounts a miniature garden fork and a shovel replaces the Saint Andrew cross. We were also tempted by the gardening tools, watering cans and natural fiber country clothes and accessories.

I love Paris 2006 says the Hermes shopping bag in the window and so do I though it was far too long since I'd been there. Unfortunately, it was -6C when we got off the plane, cold winds blowing down from Russia. I went with my friend, Relais & ChateauHotel Villa Abbazia owner, Ivana Zanon, who was going to buy at the Maison & Objet trade fair for the hotel shop, La Volta. This is one of the best gift fairs in the world and Ivana went on a spending spree, especially from the Belgium companies, who have the most interesting products right now. And, according to the New York Times "Color and texture reigned in the textile area". It was really too cold to walk around town, but, the next day we did manage a little bit of shopping. Here are a few of the places we went to.